Accurately measuring moisture content of clothing being dried within a dryer appliance can improve performance of the dryer appliance. For example, the dryer appliance can be operated until the measured moisture content of the clothing falls below a desired amount. A heater or other appropriate components of the dryer appliance can be deactivated when the measured moisture content of the clothing falls below the desired amount.
Certain existing dryer appliances use two metal rods in close proximity to each other to detect available moisture in the clothing. As the clothing tumbles within the dryer appliance, the clothing bridges the two metal rods, and a response of a circuit coupled to the two metal rod changes. The response of the circuit can be correlated to the moisture content of the clothing. Generally, the two separately formed metal rods are mounted to a non-conductive, plastic component in order to electrically isolate the two metal rods from each other.
Utilizing the two metal rods to measure moisture content has certain drawbacks. For example, the two metal rods can provide limited sensing area within the dryer appliance. As another example, physical contact between the two metal rods and the clothes being dried is required for accurate readings. Therefore, the two metal rods are generally positioned on non-rotating components of the dryer, but accurate moisture content measurements with the two metal rods at such locations can be difficult because the clothing being dried is less probable to contact non-rotating components of the dryer appliance than rotating components.
Accordingly, a dryer appliance with features for accurately measuring moisture content of clothing within the dryer appliance would be useful. In particular, a dryer appliance with features for increasing contact frequency between a moisture sensor and clothing within the dryer appliance would be useful.